There's
Gold in Them Hollywood Hills! Welcome to SoundCastlewhere classic technology meets the requirements
of the new millennium.

SoundCastle,
which has hundreds of gold and platinum albums to its
credit, has gone through recent remodel and studio upgrades.
Celebrating a 25th Anniversary, the studio reports new
music recorded/mixed here that's getting heard.

"Ashanti"
#2 on Billbord 200 charts this week

#2 Billboard 200 spot (two weeks in a row) is taken
by 21-year-old Ashanti's self-titled debut on
Universal label Island Def Jam which was recorded (vox
tracks) and mixed at Soundcastle. According to Associated
Press the cd has sold 1 million copies in less than
a month. Murder Inc.'s president Irv Gotti produced
the tantalizing blend of edgy hip hop grooves and subtle
R&B styling with Brian Springer, Irv Gotti and 7
mixing. The single "Foolish," has already
made waves on the radio.

Multi-Grammy
winner Universal Latin artist, Juanes was at
the studio co-producing his soon to be released record
mixed by Thom Russo and produced by Gustavo Santaolalla
(Juanes co-produced). Anibal Kerpel engineered and was
associate producer.

Designed
in 1967 by AIA Fellow Architect, Carl Maston, Soundcastle
is comprised of two block, redwood and glass buildings
built 73' apart on a one half acre lot housing three
studios. In 1968 the buildings received the prestigious
AIA award for qualiy of construction and design.

studio 2 with the world's 1st SSL 4000G+ Classic

Studio
II (featured in The Class of 2001, January "Mix")
was refurbished by Studio 440 (originally designed by
Waterland) and houses the world's first and only 5.1
full-surround SSL 4000 G+ "Classic" console
and custom Augspurger monitors with TAD and JBL components.

Veteran studio owner, Buddy King, praises SSL's return
to its original black "raven" paint finish
for the G+ Classic. He adds, "I think it's the
most attractive music recording desk I've seen in 35
years of being in business," and have been told
by several top recording engineers it's the best sounding
console Solid State has ever made!

L-R:
studio manager Pat kane, studio owner Buddy King

Studio
II is wired for CAT-5 and offers Pro Tools hook-ups,
but the emphasis is very much on analog.

The
tracking room, Studio I, features an SSL 9000 J console
with an equally large collection of outboard gear and
four cue systems, including a "mix your own"
system.

studio 1 with SSL 9000J

It
is King's belief that, today's recording facilities
have opportunities for generating new revenues from
previously released content. To service this market,
SoundCastle is creating an interactive design and development
company, named Showtown Media Park!

"We're
all really excited about the possibilities of 'interactive
post development,' as I call it," King continues.
As the former producer and owner of an independent label,
distribution and advertising company, King believes
the new modes of transmission, enable one to artistically
contemporize music content from existing classical music
assets.

Presently
the repurposing of music assets is going to video and
theater dubbing rooms, whose 5.1 environments are not
necessarily the same as in today's home theaters and
new automobiles. However, according to King, the biggest
difference of these facilities is not in the dimensions,
but in the personnel. When it comes to the re-purposing
of musical assets, King cites the artistic creativity
of classically educated and trained personnel having
a feel that simply cannot be duplicated. The difference,
while seemingly similar to "the bean counter,"
is as contrasting as an automobile with rear-wheel drive
as compared to those with front-wheel drive.

"We
are interested in the entire re-purposing process: From
the interactive design to the interactive implementation
of its picture and, more importantly, the 5.1 surround
re-recording. The mission of our new company is using
classic technology in the repurposing of existing classic
recordings for the millennium's new audiences. Simply
put, the music and performances are timeless,"
says King.

studio
1 main room

In
an effort to provide digital services at cost-effective
production rates, SoundCastle is developing Digital
Suites with Tie Lines to all Studios. Studio III will
be the first production studio featuring Digidesign's
recently introduced HD3 ProTools system.

"We
were the first studio in the U.S. to use SSL's Screensound
nonlinear editors," reports King. "Those rooms
are now being converted to writer/producer Pro-Tools
rooms. We're also converting our machine room into an
information technology and tape transfer room,"
says the visionary studio owner.